Man&#39;s undergarment



Aug. 22, 1944. A. M. REIS MANS UNDERGARMENT Filed Jan. 3, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' U 'INVENTOR. ARTHUR IV. RE/S ATTOR/VE Y6 Aug. 22, 1944. l M: RI-:15 2,356,696

MANS UNDERGARMENT Filed Jan. .3 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ARTHUR M. RE/S ,4 r rain/5 vs Patented Aug. 22, 1944 MAN S UNDERGARMENT Arthur M. Rois, New York, N. Y., assignor to Robert Reis & 00., New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application January 3, 1942, Serial No. 425,493

2 Claims.

The invention relates to men's undergarments and particularly to that type of such undergarment known in the trade as shorts or briefs, although it is equally applicable to mens undergarments having leg portions, either of the type which are relatively short, or of the type which extend substantially to the-ankles of the wearer.

More particularly, the invention relates to mens undergarments of the genital supporting type suchas is described and illustrated in my prior Patent No. 2,140,459, dated December 13, 1938.

This general type of supportnig garment is one which yields an extremely mild tension or support for the portions of the body in immediate contact with the crotch section of the garment. The support which must be supplied by the garment is one which must be extremely mild, so that the muscles are not in anywise weakened or distended. In other words, a completely balanced and proportional mild binding effect upon the muscles, without any weakening thereof and without any interference with freedom of movement, must be characteristic of such a garment.

One such form of supporting garment is shown and described in my above identified prior patent, but the present invention relates to a similar supporting garment not utilizing the crotch construction of my prior patent and one which will constitute a mildly supporting garment without any elastic being necessarily used either in the waistband, in the leg opening portions of the garment, or any other part of the garment. The object of my present invention is to provide such a mildly supporting garment having certain features of construction which contribute to the supportin characteristic while at the same time the garment is completely adjustable to body conformation without the use of any elastic means whatsoever.

It is conventional in the construction of this type of garment to use an elastic waistband and also some elastic in the leg openings of the garment to make the same body-conforming, for instance after the garment has been repeatedly laundered. I have found that in the novel construction of mens undergarment as hereinafter described, I am enabled to secure a completely body-conforming condition in the garment without the use of any elastic means, while at the same time permitting adjustability of the garment at all portions thereof where heretofore elastic has been used to accomplish this purpose.

By reason of my novel construction certain other inherent advantages are obtained, for instance that complete seat coverage is secured by my novel construction of garment, even in the shorts or brief type, i. e., one without legs. While such complete seat coverage was naturally secured with a leg type of garment, the construction of my novel shorts type of garment makes such complete seat coverage also available for this type of garment.

A further feature of my novel construction is that there is no seam incorporated in any portion of the seat section of the garment.

In connection with one novel feature of my garment, there is incorporated therein a feature of construction in that I provide a modification of the underlying piece of the front section of the garment which, while retaining the trim appearance of a side opening garment, provides a simplicity in obtaining access to the interior of the garment commensurate with a center opening garment. In prior constructions of what may be described as a side opening garment, the underlying piece of the front section extended substantially across to the side seam of the front section on the opposite side of the opening. In accordance with my construction, the underneath piece of the front section is anchored at the bottom, at the center of the seam in which the front section terminates, permitting a ready and easy manipulating of the garment opening as compared to the necessity of reaching all theway across underneath the front section in the prior garments and pulling the underneath portion of the front section sidewise to effect an opening of the garment or provide access to the interior thereof.

This modification of a mens undergarment is closely related, by reason of the specific construction to be described and illustrated, with the novel feature of my garment relating to the adjustability of the waist portion thereof without the use of an elastic waistband.

The broad concept of my inventive construction resides in the provision of a pocket of substantially trapezoidal configuration constituting an insert provided in the crotch portion of the garment. This pocket or insert is made with longitudinal or horizontal ribbing, the pocket or insert extending only substantially throughout the area of the garment which is to yield a mild support or conforming effect and which will not be of such a degree of tension or bindin as'to interfere with the muscles or weaken the same, or interfere with the freedom of movement of the wearer. An important feature of this novel element of my construction, is that the pocket or insert, constituted of ribbed fabric, stops at substantially the bottom crotch line, so as not to extend rearwardly and upwardly into the seat section of the garment. In this way, i. e. by stopping the pocket or insert short of the seat section, a complete seat coverage is secured and no seam is included anywhere in the seat section, and more particularly in the crotch section of the garment where the wearer would find it most uncomfortable when sitting.

Particular embodiments of my inventive structures are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front view of an undergarment constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear View of such undergarment;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of the adjustable means provided on the waistband;

Fig. 5 is a front view of another embodiment of my invention having a different means of waistband adjustment and the undergarment constituting a side opening type of garment; and

Fig. 6 is an undergarment of the type illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, but provided with leg structures at least partially covering the thighs.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which similar reference characters identify simi lar parts in the several views, the undergarment of Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, comprises a partially body encircling portion l9, including a back section H, and integral front sections l2 and H, the entire body encircling portion being preferably constituted of knitted material having a vertical ribbing, so as to impart to the garment body a transverse resiliency.

The garment is provided with leg openings 14 and I5 which, in the preferred embodiments, are provided with trimmings ['6 constituted of foldedover edges of the body material, the edges of the doubled-over material being stitched to the body material by lines of stitching [1. It will be noted that no elastic of any kind is used in such leg openings, the distendability of such openings being due entirely to the ribbed construction of the material.

Secured to the edges of the front sections [2 and I3 is a central section l8 which extends from the top edge of the garment, in'a trapezoidal configuration, downwardly, being tapered to conform with the angularly disposed edges of the sections [2 and I 3. Extending centrally of the center section I8 is a fly opening i9 which is lined interiorly with inelastic tape 28. A plurality of closure members, such as snap fasteners 2%, are provided to effect closure of the fly.

The undergarment is provided with an inelastic waistband 22, secured by stitching throughout the upper peripheral section of the garment, the waistband being adjustable by means of a pair of tapes 23 provided on each side of the garment waistband. Such tapes are stitched at their center at 24 to the waistband upon its interior face, and the free ends of the tapes are passed through a pair of slits 25, 25 and tied either tightly or loosely, depending upon the degree to which the waistband is desired to be brought together.

Extending below the central front section of the garment, from a line of stitching 26 constituting a seam, and the lower edge of the front central section, is an insert or pocket member 21. Such insert or pocket member is trapezoidal in configuration, extending from the seam 2.5 and tapering with the side edges of the side sections 12 and [3 to the lower seam line 28. It will be noted that this lower seam line 28 extends slightly above the exact center of the crotch of the undergarment and forms the side seams of the leg opening sections, and that the insert or pocket member 21 extends only to such lower seam line and not to any portion of the undergarment which constitutes either the back of the garment or the seat section. By stopping the insert or pocket 21 slightly above the exact crotch line, the seam constituting its lower edge is never, when the garment is upon the body of the wearer, positioned in any portion of the seat section, so as to interfere with the comfort of the wearer when in sitting position. Furthermore, by the provision of the insert or pocket section 2? only in the front crotch section, a complete seat coverage for the garment is attained.

The insert or pocket section 21 is constituted of knitted material of substantially the same character as the body encircling portion of the garment, and it will be noted that in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the ribbing of such knitted material extends in the same direction as the ribbing in the side sections or the remaining portion of the body of the garment. While I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention with respect to the insert or pocket member 2'! as having the ribbing extend vertically and in the sam direction as the ribbing in the remainder of the garment, it is obvious that if the ribbing extends transversely in such insert or pocket member, the advantages of my invention, as herein described, will be secured, although possibly not to the extent to which it will be secured in the preferred embodiment.

It will also be noted from Fig. 3 that the insert or pocket member is constituted of two pieces of knitted material, so as to provide an extra thickness to yield the mild support hereinabove referred to, although it is possible to use a single, heavier, fabric to effect substantially the same result.

It will also be noted that a portion of the back section of the garment when the garment is laid flat, as shown in Fig. 1, extends partway upwardly in the front to the seam line 28. This extra little piece of knitted material extending upwardly inures that the seam 28 will not extend through the seat portion and thereby interfere with the comfort of the wearer.

In the embodiment. of my invention illustrated in Fig. 5, substantially the same type of garment is illustrated with the following exceptions:

The adjustment of the waistband is accomplished, instead of by the tapes 23 in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4, by the provision of a plurality (two in the embodiment shown) of sets of snap fasteners 38 upon the waistband, either of which set is adapted to be engaged by one of snap fastener elements 31, 3l upon the cooperating section of the waistband in order to secure closure of the front of the, garment. Thus, if a tighter or shorter waistband is desired, the snap fastener elements. 3 are cooperatively engaged with the right hand (when the garment is on the body of the wearer) snap fastener elements of the groups 39; whereas if a looser or lon er waistband is required, the snap fasteners 3| are snapped to the cooperating fastener elements constituting the left hand ones of the groups 30.

In the embodiment of my invention in Fig. 5, I produce a garment which is of the front opening type which nevertheless retains the trim appearance of a side garment opening. This is accomplishcd by means of the modification of the underlying piece 32 of the front section of the garment. By the provision of this modified underlying section, I retain in my novel garment the simplicity of a center opening garment. In the side opening garment of the prior art, the underlying front piece, such as 32, extended entirely across the front section of the garment near the waistband and also entirely across the bottom, the opening provided being an arcuate cutting away of such underlying section on the far side of the attachment thereof to the edge of the side section.

In accordance with my invention, the underlying piece 32 of the front section does not extend all the way across the front section at the top of the garment, but may be stopped short of the opposite edge of the side section, with the edge33 thereof secured at a point 34 approximately at the center of the seam 26 constituting the lower edge of the front section.

In this manner, the garment may be readily opened by merely disengaging the Waistband snap fasteners and obtaining access to the interior of the garment with simplicity, as a portion of the underneath piece that extended clear across the front section of the garment has been eliminated.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention to show its application to a mans undergarment having leg sections 35, which may extend either partway down the thighs, or even to the ankles. Of course, any of the features of novelty hereinabove described with respect to the first two embodiments of my invention, may be embodied in either the shorts or brief type of undergarment, or one having partial or complete leg portions.

While I have described particular embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that various changes in the described structure, not essential to the structural features of novelty, may be made in the configuration of the undergarment without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. An undergarment of the class described.

comprising a partially body encircling portion of ribbed knitted material, the lower edges of which are bent to extend upwardly above the crotch section and terminate in a horizontal seam line defining the upper edge of the crotch section, a

- central front section of like material secured by stitching to the edges of the body encircling portion disposed at the front of the garment, an insert of ribbed knitted material of substantially greater thickness than the body of the garment, and of substantially trapezoidal configuration secured to the lower edge of said central front section and to the bent upwardlyextending edges of the body encircling portion at the front of the garment and extending from said lower edge of the central front section to said seam line defining the upper edge of the crotch section, said central front section and said insert of ribbed knitted material being connected by a second horizontal seam line, said body encircling portion having leg openings formed integrally therewith and of the same material, without any elastic tape therein, said body encircling portion being of a configuration such that the said first horizontal seam line connects the insert of ribbed knitted material to the upper edge of the crotch section, said garment including a strip underlying said central front section secured by stitching to the said opposite or second edge of the body encircling portion, said underlying strip extending only partly across and beneath the central front section and being secured to the horizontal seam line throughout only the half thereof adjacent said second edge of the body encircling portion, whereby the garment has imparted thereto the trim appearance of a side opening garment simplicity of access to the interior thereof, of a center opening garment.

2. In an undergarment of the class described having a waistband, a crotch section, and leg openings, a body encircling portion, including, as a part thereof, a central front section secured by stitching to one of the edges of the body encircling portion disposed at the front of the garment,

and including a strip underlying said central front section secured by stitching to the opposite or second edge of the body encircling portion, said underlying strip extending only partly across and beneath the central front section and being secured to the central front section throughout only the half thereof adjacent said second edge of the body encircling portion, whereby the garment has imparted thereto the trim appearance of a side opening garment while providing the simplicity of access to the interior thereof, of a center opening garment.

ARTHUR M. REIS.

while providing the 

